Abstract Background/Introduction Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a well-established risk factor for the development and exacerbation of cardiac arrhythmias. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy is recommended as the primary non-invasive treatment for OSA. However, suboptimal patient compliance remains a common challenge. Purpose This study explores the benefits of surgery in reducing the occurrence of arrhythmias associated with OSA. The study aims to investigate the impact of surgery in managing OSA-associated arrhythmias. Methods Data from the Korean Health Insurance, from January 2009 to December 2020, were retrospectively compiled and analysed to investigate the clinical outcomes of 359,851 individuals with OSA. Propensity score matching (PSM) at a 1:4 ratio was employed to compare patients who underwent surgery with those who did not. A final cohort of 117,665 participants (85.4% men, aged 60 years old or younger: 94.2%) was established, with 23,533 having undergone surgery for OSA and 94,132 receiving non-surgical management. Over a five-year follow-up period, the occurrence rates of atrial fibrillation (AF), premature beats (premature atrial contractions or premature ventricular contractions), ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest, atrioventricular block, and sinus node dysfunction were evaluated. Results Across the six types of arrhythmias, the cohort that underwent surgery for OSA consistently exhibited a lower incidence of arrhythmias than the non-surgical cohort. In the PSM analysis, a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of AF, premature beats, and sudden cardiac arrest was observed in groups of patients who underwent surgery for OSA. Among those who developed AF, the group that underwent surgery for OSA had a fivefold higher incidence than the non-surgical group (hazard ratio [HR] 5.384, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.459-8.381). The incidence of premature beats was more than four times higher in the non-surgical group (HR 4.284, 95% CI 2.96-6.177, p<0.0001), and sudden arrest was more than 24x higher in the non-surgical group (HR 24.089, 95% CI 3.348-173.312). Conclusion This study suggests a potential causative relationship between OSA and arrhythmias. Additionally, surgical intervention for OSA may be considered an effective strategy for preventing arrhythmias in young patients. Further clinical research is warranted to validate and refine these observations.Figure 1Figure 2